In his State of the Union, Biden plays the age-old hits

There’s no need, and rarely much excuse, for State of the Union speeches. The Constitution mandates that the president make periodic reports on the subject to Congress, but for much of our history, the reports were printed on paper and read at leisure. Somehow, Americans got by without self-aggrandizing rhetoric, without feel-good guests waving from the galleries, without performative ovations. No catcalls, no members of Congress snapping selfies, no theatrical rending of paper by a House speaker. Bliss.